I could use this space to tell you about how I’ve been living outside of His will for the past couple years, or how I’m writing this post with tears in my eyes after having been convicted by my own words, but instead I’ll simply make a commitment to pick up and carry my cross daily and to share my discoveries with the world as I do so.

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Today I’m covering a whole paragraph. Though there’s a lot here, it all goes hand-in-hand. I’m not advocating legalism or saying that to be saved you must tithe x amount, witness to x people each week, or that you can never sin again. What is being said is that if we have truly entered into a relationship with Jesus, our lives will show it. We all have little things that we do in the name of “being Christian.” Sometimes people can get carried away with trying to enforce some sort of “Christian” behavior on others (myself included). In high school I had friends who, when they heard someone using foul language, would tell them, “bless you.” I honestly don’t know how it started, but I know that when I heard it, it had become little more than a way to verbalize reprisal. I admit that there are a few people that I still say this to (all people who used to say it themselves), however I try to use it as a reminder to hold those close to me accountable.

The question isn’t “are you behaving this way” but rather, “why are you behaving this way?” If/when we reach out to others, or otherwise act in the name of Jesus, we should examine why we are doing this. Are we doing it so that we will receive this blessing or that? Or are we doing it out of love? Are we looking to receive something from our actions, or are we so filled with Jesus’ love that we love others enough to act?

Back to something a little closer to the scripture at hand (sorry I got on a bit of a tangent), our lives are evidence of who we are inside. I will say that there have been times in my walk that people have spoken with me and spent time with me and may never have known that I claim Christ’s name. Looking back at these times, it is painfully obvious that I was not where I should have been with God. However, there have been other times when people have been able to see who I am in Christ with little more than a greeting.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.

There’s a plethora of verses throughout the Bible that declare Jesus as “the atoning sacrifice,” Romans 3:25 and John 3:16 being only two examples. So what does “atone” mean, anyway? The New Oxford American Dictionary defines atonement as, “reparation of a wrong or injury.” Jesus paid the price. That’s nice. What’s the price, again? The price of sin is death. One sin. One death. That’s right, the consequence for any singular imperfection is death. This is where the sacrificial offerings of the old testament come from. People would have to make a sacrifice, and I’ll not go into all the details of how this had to be the greatest sacrifice, but the problem was that each sin required a sacrifice. The only way for a sacrifice to cover all of humanity for all of time (because Jesus’ sacrifice even backdated to those who had lived in the faith of Him to come) was for God himself to offer himself as the sacrifice. He took our place on the cross and from his perfect life, death, and resurrection, we have the promise of an eternity with Him. Are you willing to do what is necessary, to turn away from your sin, accept His gift, and to commit your life to Him?